Canadian Psychological Association elects Charles P. Chen to prestigious Fellow honour
Professor Charles P. Chen of the Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology in the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education has been elected to the status of Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) for distinguished contributions to the advancement of the discipline of psychology. Professor Chen will receive the award at the CPA 75th Annual Convention in Vancouver in June 2014.
“The CPA Fellow award is definitely a vote of confidence on what I have been doing in career psychology. Knowing that several of my most respected mentors are current CPA Fellows, I am indeed very honored and humbled by this exciting news. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support from my professional colleagues during the nomination process, as well as the CPA Committee on Fellows and Awards for conferring this honour,” says Professor Chen.
The award is a recognition of and testament to Professor Chen’s contributions to knowledge-building and knowledge-enhancement over the past two decades, most notably at OISE over the last 14 years where he is Professor of Counselling Psychology and the first Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Life Career Development. Within the general domain of counselling psychology, Professor Chen is a respected authority, both nationally and internationally, in the field of vocational and career psychology broadly defined, and acknowledged by faculty and students as an inspiring teacher and mentor.
“Professor Chen is an excellent teacher and a highly valued and sought after thesis supervisor of both Master’s and PhD students, and has served as external examiner to a number of international universities. In 2005 he received OISE’s inaugural David E. Hunt Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching,” said Lana Stermac, acting chair of OISE’s department of Human Development & Counselling Psychology.
"Charles works tirelessly to expand our understanding of the life career experience, from career development and identity, to the experience of meaning-making in career when individuals are confronted with profound career and life challenges. His work has helped to expand our notion of career beyond the concrete and linear to include holistic elements and understandings. As a supervisor, he is dedicated, committed, responsive, and unerringly supportive and encouraging," added PhD student Taylor McInnes.
Professor Chen’s CRC research and scholarly works focus on studying people’s vocational and career development in various contexts throughout their lifespan. In particular, he is recognized by international colleagues as a pre-eminent world leader in originating innovative ideas that have expanded and enriched the theory development in the field, including his research on integration, expansion, and the intersection of life-career transition and cross-cultural adjustment.
“This is fantastic news and much deserved. This award recognizes significant contributions to the field of psychology and is a remarkable individual achievement,” said Julia O’Sullivan, dean of OISE.
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